VIDEO SUMMARY:
The Phoenix Fire CO2 Incident was originally from a call from McDonalds about a pregnant woman who tripped and fell coming up the stairs, but instead the first responders found out that she had fell because of the fumes of CO2. They later discovered that the CO2 leaked from the soda machines. The team uncovered the co2 had leaked so much that it filled the entire basement and the entire basement was filled with co2. The air meter (serius meter) showed that there was a decrease in oxygen, and when the team went further down into the basement the alarm on the air meter was triggered showing to the entry team, that there was 100% gas in the basement.
One of the entry team member noticed that there was a co2 detector with tape on it which is why the co2 detector never went off. The team also realized that the co2 tank did not provide emrgency notices of how to turn the container off. The entry team set up a confined space fan to clean up the co2 gas. After consulting with the manufacturer, it was discovered that the co2 is presumed to be a natural gas in its natural state, with no chemicals which is why the team sirus meter stated that there was 100% natural gas, presenting a false positive. The video also stated that alot of the restaurants are switching over to the co2 liquid tanks, and they believe it would cause alot more harm than help. The video link advises that co2 is an oxygen displacer, and alot of hazards can occur becasue when you lose oxygen and start breathing in co2, it will cause increase in heart rate, light headedness and the individual could fall asleep from lack of oxygen an eventually die from lack of oxygen.
REFLECTIONS:
After reviewing the video, it makes me acknowledge my surroundings more. I say that to state for example, if I smell something strange, I probably would not overlook it as if I normally would. I presume that is what the employee did. Also the video makes you contemplate whether or not fast food industries takes the time check hazard chemicals such as CO2 on a regular basis. It makes you suspect that if they did not show or have any concern for one of their fellow employees then it makes you wonder what if this would have happened to a customer? This video makes you wonder about health inspections that check on fast food industries that determines a grade for them. Is it not in their criteria to grade on checking hazardous chemicals? It puts you in an unsafe enviornment and the fast food industries are suppose to be family friendly. Now the transition is happening where the fast food industry is switching over to liquid CO2 containers, and with all the neglegence that they show with food, it makes me feel like, this is not going to be the first time america is going to see an incident occur.
This story corresponds to another situation of a CO2 leak:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/14/us-mcdonalds-death-idUSTRE78D7U120110914
One of my concerns is that it is apparent that some fast-food chains do not necessarily hire and retain the most highly qualified employees. My guess is that their local managers also may tend to be relatively new and that there is probably a high turn-over rate among them also. There are multiple government agencies that share responsibility for food safety. When a manager at ####### explains that the meat is suppose to be served red I wonder. To some degree the market takes care of these things. But in the McDonalds case in Arizona, the public had no reason to know what was stored downstairs and the hazard.
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